Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs phoned into ‘Larry King Live’ on Tuesday to share his thoughts on the passing of famed attorney Johnnie Cochran. Diddy said, “One of the reasons why I’m able to be out here doing the positive things that I’m doing is because he fought for my innocence. He fought for my freedom. And this is the type of person he was. He stood for justice, integrity. He was such a man of grace.” Read on for a transcript of Puffy’s call. Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, he represented you. What was he like as a lawyer?

SEAN “P. DIDDY” COMBS, MUSIC PRODUCER: I mean, he was one of the greatest lawyers, you know, in the world. One of the reasons why I’m able to be out here doing the positive things that I’m doing is because he fought for my innocence. He fought for my freedom. And this is the type of person he was. He stood for justice, integrity. He was such a man of grace.

And the way he became my lawyer was I reached out to him. He was on vacation. And we didn’t really know each other previously. We heard of each other. He stopped what he was doing, and he treated me like family.

He looked into my eyes. He heard my story, saw I was innocent. And when he believed in you, he would go all the way for you. And he was somebody that — you know, I called him Uncle Johnnie, because that’s how close he had became to me. And he had became more than a lawyer representing me. He was like a family member.

You know, we had spent New Year’s together at St. Bart’s. His wife, Dale, had become close with my mother. And it’s just like — him, just as a lawyer, it was like — if you knew him, it was bigger than that. You never looked at him, you know, really as a lawyer. His smile, his gleaming smile, his personality, he was just so positive, so beautiful.

He was like one of the most beautiful people that, you know, I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. And I’m just sad and I’m in shock. And my prayers go out to Dale, Jonathan and his daughters, Tiffany and Melody.

KING: Sean, did you know how ill he was?

COMBS: He came to see me on Broadway in “A Raisin in the Sun.”

KING: He did?

COMBS: Yes, he came to see me. He had snuck in to come to see me. I know that he wasn’t out. I know that his illness wasn’t, you know, really out there like that. And he came sick to see me. And it had touched me. And it had blew me away.

I couldn’t believe that he had came out in his condition to see me. And we spent a little bit of time together. And then, you know, like a couple of weeks ago, I called him. And I was talking to him on the phone, but he couldn’t really talk back.

One thing about him, he was a talker. And so to hear him not talking, it like hurt my heart, you know? Because that’s one thing about him. He loved to talk, now. You know, that’s one thing, he loved to make people laugh. He loved to talk to you. He loved to uplift you.

And one thing I must say about that man, I met a lot of people during my time, during my couple of years here on Earth, you know, and being successful. He’s never asked me for nothing. You know, he came and he saved my life. And I would always have to, like, check in on him and, you know, he wasn’t that type of person. You know, he was the person always trying to give.

KING: You know, Sean, I never heard — I knew he was bedridden — that he left to fly to New York to come see you do that play.

COMBS: I don’t know if he actually flew to New York. But he came and his wife said he wouldn’t miss it. And to see him in that state, I know that — I know that nobody really saw him in that state, because it was such a shock. And I had came, and he was backstage, I was just like blown away that he would come out in that state.

You know, but that’s the way — once he came into my life, you know, he was there all the way. And you know, anything that I could have been there for him for, that’s the way it was. He was that type of person, that if he came into your life, it’s like you all became family, if he believed. I mean, at least with me, that’s the way it was.

KING: Sean, if you can…

COMBS: And his wife, and his sons and his whole family is the same way, such integrity.

KING: If you can, will you try to attend the funeral when it’s announced?

COMBS: Oh, yes. Yes, yes, I will definitely try to. And I’m there for the family. I’ll do whatever, the way he’s been there for me, from now until forever. That’s the way he’s touched me.

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